It took one day for Roki Sasaki to leave Dodgers teammates shocked at spring training

With MLB spring training games only a week away, all eyes will be on Roki Sasaki's first outing and how he looks facing MLB players for the first time in a Dodgers uniform. Currently the No. 1 prospect in MLB, Sasaki is a lock to make the Opening Day roster and will certainly pitch for Los Angeles when the team travels to Japan to face the Chicago Cubs in a two-game set.

With Sasaki now in camp, he took only one day to leave his Dodgers teammates speechless. Impressing Austin Barnes with his signature splitter, Sasaki will look to use the pitch as a primary weapon this season, which was his bread and butter, leading to him recording a 2.02 career ERA in 414.2 innings in his four-year career in Japan.

As stated by Sonja Chen of MLB.com, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki will start for the Dodgers in the Japan series, which confirms there's no doubt Sasaki will break camp with L.A. Yamamoto will most likely face off against Japanese counterpart Shota Imanaga, who had a fantastic rookie campaign in 2024, which means Cubs manager Craig Counsell might turn the ball over to Justin Steele for Game 2, facing off against Sasaki.

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Roki Sasaki gives the Dodgers one of the best rotations ever

With the signing of Sasaki and the inevitable return of Shohei Ohtani to the mound, the Dodgers are poised to boast one the best starting rotation in baseball history. Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow (as a fifth starter!) make up the five spots for a team that could be eyeing the most regular season wins ever.

The mark of 116 wins was set by the Cubs in 1906 and the Seattle Mariners in 2001, but it will be given a run for its money in 2025. Miguel Rojas believes they have a shot.

“You’ve got to put some goals in your life, you know? Especially with this kind of team,’’ Rojas said, per Bob Nightengale about winning 116 games. “So why not shoot for the best?"

The Dodgers are only +300 favorites to win the World Series. With the help of Sasaki performing anywhere near the level he did in Japan, they may be the first time to win back-to-back World Series trophies since The New York Yankees at the turn of the millennium.